Organic electronic materials, such as for example semiconducting organic materials, and their application in electronic devices have generated a lot of interest in research, in particular because they are seen as alternatives to the conventional amorphous silicon technology. Advantages of organic semiconducting materials include the possibility of low-cost production as well as high throughput in combination with low temperature deposition, solution processability and ease of fabrication of large electronic devices, such as for example large television screens. Furthermore, the resulting electronic devices are characterized by flexibility and reduced weight, thus making them more suited for transportable devices.
A particular field of interest is organic photovoltaics (OPV). Polymers have found use in photovoltaics because the respective devices can be manufactured by solution-processing techniques such as spin casting, dip coating or ink jet printing. Compared to the evaporation methods used in the manufacture of conventional inorganic photovoltaic devices, solution processes are cheaper and also allow production on a larger scale.
While a large number of organic compounds have been synthesized and evaluated for potential use as organic electronic materials, progress in the field has been hampered by the fact that the properties of the resulting materials are difficult, if not impossible, to predict. Research and industry therefore have continuing interest in increasing the pool of organic semiconducting materials. Additional advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following description and examples.